The Demons were in danger of falling out of the four nearing the midway point of the season after a surprise loss to second bottom Richmond a week before - leaving them with three losses from three away matches with a trip to Princes Park to face the joint league leaders in front of them.

At quarter time it seemed their hoodoo would continue, with their traditionally erratic forward play only generating one goal from seven scoring shots. They went into the last quarter two points behind before finishing the game much better than the home side to win comfortably and go back to second place on the ladder. They'd have dropped to sixth if they'd lost.

In the end their strength won out, with Carlton's renowned half-back line crumbling under pressure. Their opponents Case and Tunbridge were the main attacking drivers behind the win. Up front Carlton's forwards were too reliant on short passes and relied on a resting ruckman to kick four goals.

Best were Dixon, Case and Tunbridge. Adams played in the second half despite a broken toe. Wilson suffered a split nose.